


tread softly because you tread on my dreams

by meng_ren



Category: Infinite (Band)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, revolutions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-30
Updated: 2017-03-30
Packaged: 2018-10-12 21:41:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10500006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meng_ren/pseuds/meng_ren
Summary: Howon dreams of freedom. Sunggyu dreams of order. Yet even at their most hopeful, neither can dream of a world where the other can live.But they live in a world of revolutions and struggle, and the time has come to pick a side. Only one dream can come true.[Urban Fantasy! AU]





	

**Author's Note:**

> The original prompt by anon was:
> 
>  **Pairing(s)/Member:** Hoya/Sunggyu  
>  **Prompt:** They were night and day; yin and yang; black and white. In a world of necessary evils and revolutions, their secret meetings were their only solace amidst the chaos; a pretence that they weren't plotting to eliminate the other. But nothing last forever, and the time has come for them to make a decision.  
>  **Preferred Rating:** Any  
>  **Bonus:** Dystopian!AU, Secret Meetings, Sunggyu and Hoya are in love but they are on different sides, Plans of invasion.  
>  Please exclude: -

Had I the heaven's embroidered cloths,  
Enwrought with golden and silver light,  
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths  
Of night and light and the half-light;  
I would spread the cloths under your feet:  
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;  
I have spread my dreams under your feet;  
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams. 

W. B. Yeats

****

**\---**

Every time Sunggyu was with Howon, he could not bear to turn on the lights. To see Howon with his own eyes, as well as to feel the man’s skin under his, would have been too real. To know that he was intimate with his enemy, or to realize that the teeth biting at his neck belonged to a man he was supposed to hate, would have made him confront the facts. Howon wasn’t just a man—he was a _revolutionary_ of the highest order. The younger man who had so tenderly kissed him, holding his face with both hands before rocking his body up and down Sunggyu’s length, wanted to destroy everything that he held dear. Sunggyu could not have let the man go. He should not even have let the man live. Yet once again, after Sunggyu had finished by climaxing inside Howon, the bloodlust that he should have felt was replaced instead by guilt and self-loathing.

This night, like after every night they met since they had reunited, he would send the man away. 

“Hurry up and then go, Lee Howon,” Sunggyu gritted through clenched teeth. Tonight, they were fumbling in darkness in yet another seedy motel. In his shame, Sunggyu had not even flipped on the lights. He tried to dress himself in the dark, groping for his clothes. He had been stumbling awkwardly into a pair of pants, cursing himself softly as he tried to leave as soon as possible. His coat was somewhere on the floor, his boots somewhere else by Howon’s, and it would have helped if there was a light—

And then there was, as Howon formed a ball of fire in his hands. He gently released the ball of heat and light into the open, suspending it in the air and casting shadows across the darkened apartment.

“You could use a hand,” Howon had said, stepping gingerly off of the bed and keeping himself light on his feet. He used a handful of tissues to wipe his release off of his chest, and then grabbing a towel to wipe off the sweat off of his body. As he approached Sunggyu the other man jerked away.

“Don’t use your powers—” snapped Sunggyu, turning first towards Howon and then around the room. “Somebody could see that, and then we’d both be in trouble.”

Howon raised an eyebrow. “ _That’s_ what you’re worried about? I thought you placed a cloaking spell around this house. The only people who can see inside are alchemists who would have known what you’ve just done, or rather, _who_ you’ve just done.” The man continued to clean himself up with the towel, now wiping away Sunggyu’s fluids trickling down between his legs.

“I don’t—just don’t, please,” Sunggyu continued. “You don’t need to show off. I know what you’re capable of doing. I know what I’ve done. Just please don’t remind me.”

Sunggyu turned away and hastily inspected his uniform’s shirt and jacket. There were a few buttons missing from his shirt, where Howon had torn it in an attempt to disrobe him, and the jacket had a scratch on it, but his clothing was otherwise intact. Most importantly, the alchemist’s badge was still intact, displaying the red crystals which represented the three substances, the four elements, the seven planets, and the twelve processes.

Howon frowned as he approached Sunggyu, and the older man expected yet another fight. There were still four scratch marks across Howon’s pectoral muscles, where a blast of alchemical metal had clawed into the man’s skin.

 _I should have killed him, then and there,_ thought Sunggyu as the other man approached. But he couldn’t. It was not the case that he didn’t want to. The first time they met, after being separated for over ten years, Howon had defeated _him_. Seeing those marks Howon’s body reminded Sunggyu of that first fight, when Howon had nearly burned him alive with a blow to the chest. _But I could have died._ Sunggyu reminded himself. 

If he had been any other alchemist, Howon would have burnt him to a crisp. It was nothing less than a miracle that Howon had first let him live, and then made a move on him, resulting in their twisted relationship today.

“Why can’t I remind you?” Howon said, smirking at the flush on Sunggyu’s face. “Does it really hurt you so much to know that I am a mage? Is it that badge you wear? You used to love to see what I could do.”

Sunggyu’s face darkened as he turned away. “We were childhood friends. Naive. Stupid.”

“Then what are we now?” Howon asked, eyes glinting. “When you fuck me every week, who do you think you’re doing? Howon the revolutionary? Or Howon your friend?”

“You’re not my friend!” said Sunggyu, raising his voice. “I know what you and the revolutionaries are trying to do, and I won’t help you. Turn yourself in, and maybe I can help you. I can tell the alchemists that I once knew you.”

“Why can’t you tell them you still know me?” Howon responded. He turned to the ball of fire still casting light, and as he turned away, Sunggyu saw the shadows cast his face into darkness.

“Because you’re a mage, and I’m an alchemist, and the two of us will be in trouble if anybody learns,” Sunggyu answered.

“Trouble. Trouble?” Howon’s tone had suddenly turned dark, and Sunggyu asked himself whether Howon had become so hot-tempered in the years that they were away from each other. “Sunggyu, I know what you’ve done to other mages. To my friends. You and the other alchemists have killed us, and drained our blood to form those badges that you wear. You could kill me, right now, and you wouldn’t get in any trouble.”

“This is different,” stammered Sunggyu. “Those were fights, fair and square. They resisted.”

Howon was now sitting on the bed, staring daggers at Sunggyu. “Fights? What type of fight is it when there are a dozen alchemists casting spells, and one mage relying on his own ability? What have we mages done, that make you so ashamed to be with me?”

Sunggyu had the alchemist’s standard answer: _The Draconian Constitution, the laws of Astra, state that the uncontrolled use of magic is harmful. The regulation of magic is the foundation of an equitable society. Mages, whose use of magic depends on natural ability, threaten the equality of all citizens._ But Howon was a citizen too, or at least as long as he remained a mage in secret. So Sunggyu answered bluntly, to say what all alchemists had thought in secret.

“Because you scare us,” Sunggyu answered, and Howon’s face fell. As Howon frowned, the ball of light behind him spluttered and flickered. It disappeared, and the room was cast into darkness again.

The room was quiet for the first time in hours, as the two of them remained in the darkness. Howon’s breathing was loud to Sunggyu, who forced himself to stand still.

 _If I just close my eyes, this might all go away,_ he thought for a second, but his thoughts were interrupted when Howon began to move. When Sunggyu opened his eyes, he saw Howon fully dressed. Or half-dressed, given that Howon’s low-hanging jeans, fishnet sleeves, and open vest exposed skin rather than covered it.

“I’m leaving now,” said Howon gruffly, turning towards the door. “And don’t bother trying to follow me.”

“You won’t be cold? It’s raining outside,” Sunggyu said, surprising himself with the trace of concern in his voice.

“I control fire,” said Howon with a roll of his eyes. “Just worry about that shiny badge of yours.”

And then Howon stepped past the threshold of the door, past the circle of silence that Sunggyu had cast, and teleported himself away.

Sunggyu forced himself to sit on the bed again. His legs were weak, and perspiration was making his clothes stick to his skin, but at least it was over. Howon seemed to have no idea.

The two of them had always talked about their hatred for the other, but each time Howon had assumed that Sunggyu would come crawling back to him. And Sunggyu knew Howon was right, thinking of every night when he rocked into Howon, feeling the other man tight around him. But that was then. Howon wasn’t aware of Sunggyu’s newfound determination.

The next time Sunggyu met Howon, there would be no heated little tryst as the two of them cast off their titles and roles. They would no longer try to find themselves again, or explore where their relationship was heading.

 _No,_ thought Sunggyu. The next time I see him, I’m going to kill him.

****

**\---**

“You haven’t produced anything useful,” the first of the two mages said, from her seat by the fireplace. She gently blew a stream of flame into it, setting the logs inside on fire. “We want to move quicker.”

The second mage nodded affirmatively. “Howon, it’s been a year since we uncovered Lieutenant Kim Sunggyu. You’re our best hope to get any information out of him, but if you can’t, then we need to eliminate him. Sunggyu is one of the best alchemists out in the field. He’s one of only three alchemists in Draconis who mastered the twelve alchemical processes before turning twenty. If he doesn’t help us, we’ll need to kill him.”

Howon kept his expression intact. He had expected that the other revolutionaries would press for this. Seon and Park were always demanding that he move faster, telling him to trade on his past with Sunggyu to secretly elicit information. The two other mages did not know he was sleeping with Sunggyu. But they did know that Sunggyu was supplying nothing. That meant Howon would need to dissuade them using another angle.

“Sunggyu is the best alchemist currently stationed in Draconis. Killing him would only draw attention, and his replacements might even be worse. Lim Junghyun has just been freed up from Arietis, and the Wang twins from Delphini might rotate here too. Do you remember, Ms. Seon, Mr. Park, what happened the last time we killed an alchemist in this city?” said Howon, trying to bargain.

The younger, female mage gave a frown, but the male mage looked unfazed. “We made a poor sacrifice,” he said. “That alchemist was inconsequential, yet the government still responded in full force. We killed an alchemist without scaring anybody. If we kill Sunggyu, that will be different.”

“Not meaningfully,” retorted Howon. “The government will throw twice as many alchemists into the city. Sunggyu is a master alchemist, like you said, and he’s popular with the people, who see him as their anti-mage protector. They’ll beg the government to bring reinforcements.”

“Are you working for the alchemists now?” said the male mage, peering suspiciously. “What’s left of a dozen mages now hangs around Lieutenant Kim’s neck. If we don’t kill him, we make a mockery of our own cause, and tell the world that Astran mages can be killed with impunity. Whose side are you on?”

“I’m on Draconis’ side,” snapped Howon. “I was born here. I’ve bled here. The two of you are always flitting from one city to another. Neither of you two will stick around if Astra levels this city, which they very well might do. Who cares what the world thinks about Astra? We need to save the people, first.”

The two mages looked at each other hesitantly, before the male nodded. “Go ahead, Ms. Seon,” said the male.

The woman nodded to explain. “The reason why world opinion matters, Howon, is because Astra’s issues may no longer be local issues.”

Howon was confused, turning to look at the two mages.

“Howon, can you make sacrifices?” The man said, tilting his head at the young mage with a curious look.

“What type of sacrifices?” He asked, beginning to feel angry rather than curious. Sacrifices meant death, after all.

“You need to understand, Howon,” said the female mage. “No matter what happens, the revolution will win. You can’t be distracted by the pain that will happen.”

“I. Don’t. Understand,” Howon managed to say, even as he gritted his teeth.

“If Lieutenant Kim is killed and the alchemists are scared away from Draconis, then we win. We seize the initiative, take the city, and form our own autonomous enclave. Astra has always been a loose confederation, and there’s no telling if the other cities will spend the efforts to retake Draconis,” said the woman.

“And if they’re not scared away?” Howon responded.

“For a hundred years, the world has watched and done nothing as mages in Astra were persecuted. But times are different. The neighboring nations, like Terrae or Aquae, do not fear the alchemists the way they once did. Astra is surrounded by countries that respect mages. They will not sit idly if mages are killed,” explained the female mage.

He blinked. He looked curiously from the first speaker to the second, and then back, and repeated the motion as if he heard nothing.

“You lie,” Howon said, and he could barely express his confusion.

“No, Howon,” the male mage said. “This is the only plan. We will have peace, in one way or another. If killing Sunggyu scares Astra, we save the city’s mages. If killing Sunggyu provokes Astra, then neighboring countries will invade and save Astra’s mages. It will only benefit us.”

 _”Us?”_ said Howon, aghast. “You’re talking about sacrificing hundreds, maybe thousands of lives, to provoke the first invasion of Astra in a hundred years. We will all be _dead_ because of you!”

The man responded ferociously. “Look around you! Howon, mages are dying every day, and if we don’t kill the alchemists, we will all be dead anyways!”

“Mister Park. Miss Seon. When you came to Draconis, you told me that the revolution was not fighting _for_ mages. You said we were fighting _against_ alchemists, and their monopoly over governance and knowledge. You said we would be better if all people were free,” Howon said. “If you sacrifice people, mages and commoners alike, then what makes you better than the alchemists?”

The male mage’s face flushed red, even as the woman glared at him.

“The blood we shed would nourish freedom for millions of Astran citizens,” said the man. “Now give me an answer, right now. Are you working for the alchemists, Howon? Or do you fight for mages?”

“That’s a false choice,” Howon spat, looking around the room. There was nobody else present here, thankfully.

“It’s the only choice we’re giving you,” said the female mage

“No,” said Howon, feeling childishly stubborn at the worst possible time. “I make my own choices.”

And then the two mages attacked him.

****

**\---**

“I should have been called first,” said Sunggyu, bending a knee to peer closely at the crime scene. He turned to the person behind him, a plainclothes detective in a skirt and jacket. “These bodies have been here for days. It’s going to be difficult to do forensics after the rats and the birds got to them. What took the police so long to discover this?”

The younger woman pointed to the various holes in the abandoned warehouse, gesturing at the bleak landscape around them. “Take a look around you. There’s nobody around for miles. The only reason the police even stumbled across this place was because they suspected drug activity. They didn’t expect this, and they let you know almost as soon as they learned.”

“You said ‘they’,” Sunggyu answered, peering at the woman. 

“I did. I’m not a cop. I’m an alchemist like you, too,” she said, and she flipped the collar of her jacket to reveal her own alchemist’s badge. “Sergeant Lim Junghyun, alchemist at your service. The central authorities sent me to Draconis to help train new alchemists. I didn’t expect to get a case.”

Sunggyu shook his head. That matter wasn’t important now. What was important was the crime scene. “And what do the police know?”

Sergeant Lim pointed a finger at the body of a dead woman, propped up against the fireplace. “That appears to be Seon Mihee, though she also went by a few other pseudonyms. She was a powerful fire mage, high-ranking in the resistance. Lots of fire damage to the warehouse suggests she might be responsible for the fires. The police think it was a fight between mages, and I agree.” She looked at the soot around her feet, wrinkled her nose, and turned to look at Sunggyu again.

Sunggyu gave a look of surprise at hearing the name, and then nodded. “I’ve heard of her, though I couldn’t recognize her thanks to the ravens. It definitely was a fight between mages.”

The woman alchemist looked skeptical. “You’re confident.” 

“There are only three alchemists in Astra who could have killed her without any backup. I’m the first, the second is the Prime Minister, and the third is my master, who retired to Eridani to run a bakery,” said Sunggyu now standing up. “I can assume a mage killed her. And I think I know who else was here. Can you guess?”

“I don’t have your encyclopedic knowledge of fugitives,” said Sergeant Lim. “Who?”

“Look at the damage around here,” Sunggyu said. 

“I just see fire damage,” she replied.

“Exactly. I think there was an air mage here. That explains why the furniture and refuse are strewn everywhere,” answered Sunggyu. “I suspect Park Kyungryul. He’s the only high-ranking air mage in the resistance.”

“What reason would he have to fight the fire mage?” Sergeant Lim said, looking slightly skeptical.

“I don’t know,” Sunggyu answered. “But it must have been something worth dying for. I only see one dead body. Park Kyungryul must have escaped. Tell the police to begin looking at him. The central database will have his picture on file.”

“Well, you’re the genius alchemist, aren’t you? You’re the talk of HQ after all,” Sergeant Lim gave a mocking bow as she spoke, and departed.

When she was gone though, Sunggyu was internally panicking. The alchemist could be initially fooled, he realized, but the forensics would have betrayed him. Once people started taking photographs or swabbing for DNA, they would realize a _third_ person was here.

Sergeant Lim hadn’t paid attention, but Sunggyu had. He recognized the second set of boot prints in the soot and the burnt fishnet sleeve from a few nights ago. And he recognized the way fireballs burned concentric holes in the wall from the last time he had fought a powerful fire mage.

The third person here had been Howon.

****

**\---**

The resulting manhunt swept across Draconis, with the alchemists at the helm. The population was tense, worried about a violent, powerful mage in their midst. And throughout it all, Sunggyu was searching.

He wasn’t quite sure what to think: he knew Howon was a revolutionary. He also knew the revolutionaries had various cells in Draconis. But Sunggyu had never put two and two together, connecting Howon to one of the revolutionary cells. Despite their many nights together—short, frantic nights in the cover of darkness, mouths and limbs desperately moving—Howon had never divulged a single detail about the other revolutionaries.

Sunggyu had once, post hoc, attempted to rationalize his guilty behavior. Howon might spill a detail after they slept together, or let out a small clue about what the other mages were planning. But the other man had divulged nothing.

And right now, all of their customary methods for meeting up had failed. Howon was a mage, and thus unable to perform alchemy, but he could still sense Sunggyu’s alchemical presence. Most of the time, that was enough to draw the two men together. On other occasions, when Sunggyu was needier, a discretely drawn spell would tell Howon where to teleport. But nothing was currently working. No matter how many times Sunggyu lingered in dreary hotel rooms or abandoned houses, he always left alone.

 _He better not be dead,_ Sunggyu thought bitterly, once. _I should be the one to kill him. I’m the only one who can. I’m the only one he can give his life for._ And he remembered a fond memory, from years past.

_Howon and Sunggyu, still boys and still innocent, huddled together after a night exploring an abandoned asylum that had once held mages. It was autumn in Draconis, which meant fierce winds and heavy rains. Sunggyu, shivering so hard his teeth were clattering, was cold despite the jacket pulled around him._

_And then Howon, putting a finger to his mouth, was forming a fireball in his hand. And then he created more, all around them, until Sunggyu was no longer cold and wet. Only when Sunggyu was dry and comfortable did Howon reach over to give him a peck on the cheek, and Sunggyu flushed red._

_“Why did you do that?” Sunggyu had asked._

_“Because you’ll catch a chill.” Howon had answered, turning away._

_It wasn’t until after rescuers came that Howon passed out, and Sunggyu had learned just how much energy Howon had expended in using his magic. A mage’s strength came from blood: using a spell involved a sacrifice of blood._

_Even at ten, Howon was willing to sacrifice his life. ___

__But that was, what, twenty years ago? They were on different sides now. The mage and the alchemist. Incompatible._ _

___If Howon appears now,_ thought Sunggyu, _it would be so much easier to kill him now. We could settle this issue among us. It would be cleaner this way, and private. There’s no shame in covering up my mistake, especially if there’s nobody to see. And Howon won’t like it, but he’d prefer it. Every other alchemist would wear Howon’s remains like jewelry.__ _

__Sunggyu shook the thoughts away from his head as he continued to walk inside the alchemists’ headquarters. Draconis had doubled security as a temporary measure, until the air mage Park Kyungryul was captured. There were dozens of armed policemen surrounding him even in the city’s most fortified building. Nonetheless, Sunggyu continued to stroll in to where the alchemists were meeting._ _

__Sergeant Lim was there, along with a white-haired alchemist wearing a gentleman’s frock coat and top hat. Sunggyu took a very deep bow upon seeing him._ _

__“General Choi,” Sunggyu said, taking a seat only when the alchemist gave him permission. “I am honored by your presence here.”_ _

__“The sergeant and I were discussing the air mage. Park Kyungryul, or at least that’s what he calls himself,” said the general, clasping his gloved hands together._ _

__“And what about him?” Sunggyu asked, throwing a glance at the expressionless Sergeant Lim._ _

__“We think something doesn’t add up, Lieutenant Kim. I had the military intelligence analysts perform an assessment of the air mage, and I sent several forensic alchemists to analyze the crime scene. I’m dismissing your initial assessment and substituting the official analysis,” said the general._ _

__Sunggyu nodded, unsurprised. He had expected that the other alchemists would soon realize the true situation._ _

__“There were many DNA profiles at the abandoned warehouse, which had been used by squatters for years, but only three of them were mages. That means it wasn’t a fight between two revolutionaries, but three,” said the general._ _

__Sunggyu nodded again. “I defer to the forensic technicians.”_ _

__“What’s more,” continued the general, “our analysts say that both the victim, Seon Mihee, and the murder suspect were hardline leaders in the revolutionary movement. They were described as being of one mind, and ideological partners. The analysts say that such a radical split, leading to bloodshed, is out of character.”_ _

__“A third mage must have attacked them both,” said Sunggyu, reading between the lines._ _

__“Exactly,” said Sergeant Lim, “which means we have _two_ rogue mages out there, not one.”_ _

__“It benefits us if the mages fight each other,” admonished Sunggyu. “Besides, individual mages are often territorial. The two surviving mages may fight each other, maybe before they fight us.”_ _

__“True,” said the general, “assuming that both mages are still here. That is a proposition that we can easily test.”_ _

__Sunggyu paused, blinked, and looked at the two other alchemists, and paused again. “How would we do that?”_ _

__“Bait,” said the general. “Sergeant Lim here is not quite senior enough to act as a lure, and of course, I am an actual senior.”_ _

__“You want me?” Sunggyu said, in slight surprise. “You’ll use me to lure out two mages?”_ _

__“Sergeant Lim will be watching you, and we’ll have snipers on guard. And you are considered the darling of the alchemical establishment. You can defend yourself against one mage,” said the general._ _

__“One,” retorted Sunggyu. “But there might be two mages out there.”_ _

__“If that happens, _I_ will fight too. Three against two is a fair fight, don’t you think?” Said the general. “I’ve already received approval for this mission. In two days’ time, you will make a very public journey from this building to the City Hall building on the main street. It would be the best place for a mage to ambush you. But _we_ will be the ones springing the trap. Do you understand?”_ _

__“Affirmative,” said Sunggyu, furrowing his brow. But even as he left, he could feel tension in the pit of his stomach._ _

__It would be one thing to kill Howon in private, but another to do the deed in public. _Howon, please,_ thought Sunggyu. _I don’t want to wear you around my neck.__ _

__****_ _

**\---**

As far as Sergeant Lim and General Choi had described it, all Sunggyu needed to do was walk down Main Street. Other alchemists had already spread disinformation, loudly talking in the city’s bars about how Lieutenant Kim Sunggyu was going to be guarding a new shipment of blood crystals. The military and police had enhanced those rumors by conspicuously drawing alchemical invocations along the Main Street. Sunggyu thought that blatant moves would obviously declare to the mages that this was a trap, but his superiors assured him that the mages were susceptible to such reverse psychology.

“This seems like an incredibly risky idea,” Sunggyu said, still hoping to dissuade General Choi and Sergeant Lim. “We’re gambling that there are only two undocumented mages in this city. Even one additional mage would change the calculus of our actions.”

“You sound afraid,” retorted Sergeant Lim. “Are you afraid of death?”

 _Not my death,_ Sunggyu almost said, before he departed with the convoy. _But that of somebody very close to me._

It was a large show of force, all for nothing. There wasn’t a single blood crystal in the truck he was accompanying, but Sunggyu had to keep up the pretense. The general had agreed with him that it was too dangerous to ride—an air mage could easily flip over his vehicle and crush him inside—so he walked, slowly and methodically at a distance away from the rest of the military vehicles. As he did, his eyes scanned his surroundings.

Nothing hinted at Howon's presence. It was a cloudy afternoon, making it too early to spot Howon’s signature flames among Draconis’ artificial lights. And Sunggyu didn’t feel the presence of any mages down the streets or in the buildings, either. But Sunggyu was conspicuous in his black leather trench coat and alchemist’s badge, conspicuous enough for a long-range attack. He continued to hold his breath as he walked down the middle of the street.

One step at a time, down an ancient cobblestone road.

Another step. It was starting to drizzle.

One more step. Rain hadn’t been forecast.

Another step. The precipitation was beginning to pick up.

Sunggyu realized he had never bothered to scan the _sky_.

He leaped back from where he was standing, even before he sensed the attack, and if he had waited to blink first, he would have been incinerated by the bolt of lightning instead. Instead he soared backwards, finding himself on the ground, staring up at where an air mage was now descending from the sky. The figure was wrapped in winds, so Sunggyu couldn’t see him, but he guessed this to be the air mage Park Kyungryul, arriving not a moment too soon.

There were bullets flying through the air as Sunggyu ducked, but the winds surrounding the mage sent the bullets arcing harmlessly away, so Sunggyu gave a wave to tell the snipers to stand down. He didn’t need them. He was Lieutenant Kim Sunggyu, a first-class alchemist, and he needed no help to defeat this revolutionary. Instead, he began casting an invocation, speaking to himself and relying on the blood crystals.

The street would be his battleground. 

And Sunggyu fought, summoning and hurling all of the elements at the air mage. He summoned a block of ice to fall on the mage, who dodged it but was sprayed by ice shards. He released a bolt of flame from his palm, which was blocked by a wave of air. When the mage sent a gust of wind at him, Sunggyu touched the ground and created a wave of earth to shield himself. And when the mage created a whirlwind, Sunggyu motioned in the air to create a counter-current to cancel it out.

The mage had only mastered one element. Sunggyu controlled all of them. But the mage had brute force and energy that Sunggyu lacked. 

Sunggyu cast a spell on the ground, dissolving the earth under the mage’s feet to trap him, but the mage flew into the air instead. So Sunggyu clapped his hands, slid back, and motioned his hands upward. The surrounding cars and streetlights flew into the air through magnetic levitation, forming steel projectiles. But the air mage put his hands in front of him, and the vehicles were hurled back by a tempest.

Sunggyu took a look at his badge. He had started with twenty-seven crystals, but he was now down to a dozen. It would be a good time for the Sergeant or the General to step in now.

“You’re getting tired,” said the mage, amplifying his voice through the air. “I can do this all day.”

Sunggyu snorted. “Floating up in the air doesn’t make you a god,” he snapped.

It was the wrong thing to say, for the air mage suddenly accelerated at him, like a bullet, and Sunggyu rolled out of the way. The mage was in a sphere of air, cushioning him as he collided with Sunggyu’s surroundings. But Sunggyu fell to the ground in the process, clutching his leg, and when the mage turned again, he could only form an ice wall with one hand. The mage slammed against the wall, bounced harmlessly away, and turned back towards him.

Sunggyu tried to form a wall of earth to cover himself instead, but when he touched the ground, nothing happened. He stared down at his badge. The rest of his blood crystals had broken in his fall. There was nothing left for him. His spells were all gone. He could at least try to physically dodge as the mage approached—

And then there was a wall of flame encircling him, reaching into the sky, and Sunggyu had guessed who had just teleported here. 

He didn’t need to bother moving as he watched the spectacle before him. Two figures were fighting. One was soaring in the sky as another one hurled fire at him, but by now, the mage in the air was getting tired. Sunggyu was silently praying under his breath the entire time.

The air mage’s actions were getting sluggish and tired. Every time the fire mage unleashed another stream of flame, the wave of wind brushing it aside grew weaker and smaller. Soon, the air mage was now fighting on the ground, creating weak whirlwinds that were dispersed with a single bolt of flame. And then the fire mage and the air mage were advancing closer to each other, until the fire mage was close enough to stick his hand through the shield of wind. As the flames died around Sunggyu, the alchemist saw the air mage literally combust into pure ash.

And then the winds were gone, and there was only one man standing, and it was Howon.

Sunggyu walked over to greet him, only to see the other man collapse onto the floor.

****

**\---**

When Howon regained consciousness, the first thing he did was to stretch his hands in front of him. The burns left by Seon Mihee had healed, thanks to his abilities as a fire mage. A normal human would have been scarred for life, but Howon’s arms looked merely sunburned. He next reached for his abdomen, where he could still feel strips of scar tissue. These burns, as well, would hopefully heal. He took the time to test his mobility. All of his limbs were intact, and there didn’t seem to be any issue with his face either. He was too tired to use his mage abilities, but he sensed he was inside an alchemical spell that would have prevented him from using his powers anyways.

He shifted gingerly, trying to rise out of the bed, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. 

“Don’t,” said a voice, and Howon was groggily trying to connect the voice to a face. There wasn’t anything physically covering his ears, but he felt like he was hearing everything through gauze. “The healing alchemists have said your burns should have killed a dozen fire mages. The invocations don’t work as well when you’re conscious.”

“The alchemists?” Howon asked. The last thing he could remember was fleeing the abandoned warehouse, trying to chase after Park Kyungryul as the air mage flew away.

“You’re in the military hospital in Draconis. The doctors have said you might need to be airlifted to Eridani, if your condition gets worse, but so far you’ve proven difficult to kill,” continued the voice. And even though Howon couldn’t recognize the speaker, he recognized that specific line.

“Is that you, _Lieutenant_ Kim Sunggyu?”

“That’s Captain Kim to you. I received a nice promotion, courtesy of the mage you killed,” said the voice, and the speaker was now walking around him.

Memories flitted back to him: Draconis, and the street, and the air mage, catching fire while throttled by Howon’s hands.

“So you’re alive?” Howon said, and the words sounded stupid as soon as they left his mouth.

“I wouldn’t allow somebody else to kill me, even though Park Kyungryul nearly did,” said Sunggyu, as Howon now recognized the voice. The man’s solemn face appeared before him in the dim light.

Now Howon remembered. First was the memory of him trying to inform the alchemist, but being temporarily incapacitated by his wounds. And then the second memory was seeing Sunggyu, on the ground on the street with the air mage approaching him.

“It wasn’t for you,” said Howon, even as he questioned how honest his statement was. “Park Kyungryul and Seon Mihee wanted to kill you to start a larger war. They wanted the alchemists to crack down so hard that other countries would invade Astra. Don't get the wrong idea about my intentions.”

“That doesn’t really matter, does it?” Sunggyu answered. “Either way, I’m alive. I should be thanking you.”

Howon smirked. “Are you thanking me?”

Sunggyu took a long time to exhale, and the two of them sat in silence.

“I was supposed to kill you,” came the answer.

“But you didn’t,” said Howon, watching Sunggyu. He had expected the older man to look away, but Sunggyu’s eyes remained enigmatic pools of darkness.

“It’s still early,” said Sunggyu, coolly, even as Howon watched the tension in the man’s eyes melt away. Howon laughed, and Sunggyu looked annoyed, and Howon realized the alchemist was harmless. “Hey! Don’t laugh at me! I’m serious.”

Howon turned onto his side and patted the bed next to him. It was large enough to accommodate two people. “Just lie down. It’s harder to talk to you when you’re standing up.”

Sunggyu wrinkled his nose. “What if somebody sees?”

“Is there anybody around?”

“No,” said Sunggyu hesitantly.

“Then that answers the question. Let’s try being in bed together with our clothes on.”

Sunggyu scowled, but otherwise complied, settling next to Howon. They were looking at each other, as Howon resumed talking.

“How long was I out for?”

“Two weeks.”

“And where am I going from here? The mage internment camps? So I can spend the rest of my life without my magic? I’d rather be dead.”

Sunggyu frowned again. “Don’t say that.”

“Why? It’s true. What's a mage without magic? A corpse.”

Sunggyu took a breath, paused, and spoke. “I’d miss you.”

“You’d miss me even though you’re willing to kill me.”

“It’s complicated, Howon! All of this, the mages and alchemists and the military, the revolution, it’s all complicated, alright? As an alchemist, I should have killed you a long time ago, but as your former friend, it’s different. And who knows what we are now?” Sunggyu said.

“Were you the one who kept me alive?”

Sunggyu nodded. “The other alchemists would have already melted you down.”

“Thanks for that, at least,” said Howon grudgingly. “But how long before that happens?”

“It shouldn’t. I told my bosses that I wanted you alive. I said it would be a condition of me staying in the military. As long as you’re here, I’ll continue to be an alchemist.”

“So as long as I’m alive, you’ll kill other mages? Maybe you should start drawing my blood now.”

“Will you be so difficult, Howon? I keep you alive, and you’re mad. If I let you die, you’d get upset. There’s no way of winning with you, is there?”

“Maybe not,” Howon answered with a smirk. “But I like winning.”

Sunggyu gave a long, drawn-out sigh. “What do _you_ want?”

If only the alchemist had asked him earlier.

“I want the same thing I wanted before. I want to be free. I want to walk around, and be trusted not to destroy the city. I want to breath the same air that you do, and walk under the same sun, and fall asleep in the grass under the same stars as you. I want to be Howon,” he said.

“Is that it?” Sunggyu was now closing his eyes.

“No,” Howon answered. “I also want you to be Sunggyu, and you to go to those overpriced boutiques you love, going to those theater plays you enjoy, and eating what you like, and listening to those songs you love. I want you to be you, and me to be me.”

“And you’d want us to be together?”

Howon gave a smile, feeling friendly for once.

“That would be good.”

Sunggyu sighed again, and the other man seemed emotionally weary if not physically tired.

“I don’t know if I can do that.”

“I’ll settle for something less. As long as you want that us to be together.”

There was another period of silence, before Sunggyu’s eyes flew open, animated and bright. “I _do_ want that.”

“And I want you too,” said Howon, reaching over to give Sunggyu a kiss on the lips. And then he gave a wry smile as an idea arose in his mind. He was suddenly feeling giddy. He had not felt this way since he separated from Sunggyu, as a teenager. Howon grabbed his pillow, put it over his stomach, and turned over so his backside was in the air. “And there’s something else I want right now.”

“Lee Howon. You can't be serious. You’re injured.” Sunggyu was aghast, realizing the implication.

“I’m a mage. I heal quickly. And I’ve always wanted to do it in a hospital.” Howon was smiling, pushing at Sunggyu’s buttons.

“Lee Howon! You can’t be serious. Lee Howon! You just regained consciousness—are you kidding!?”

In the end, though, Howon emerged victorious. He always did.

****

**\---**

“It’s weird to see you in a uniform,” said Sunggyu grudgingly, as he stared at the two of them in their mirror. Howon’s uniform was also black leather, with the same black cap and black leather boots of an alchemist. The main difference was the silver insignia of a flame on his chest.

“I never tire of seeing _you_ in a uniform,” Howon said, putting a hand around Sunggyu’s waist.

“You’re the first mage in the modern military, and there’s supposed to be more to follow,” said Sunggyu, inspecting himself. The blood crystals were still on his insignia, and every time he saw them, he felt guilty that he had yet to broach the subject with Howon.

“It’s a good deal, isn’t it?” Howon said with a laugh. “Who knew that I could change public opinion, and that seeing a mage fight for an alchemist would convince the military that mages can be reliable?”

Sunggyu nodded. “It’s strange, all right. I don’t know if I can get used to it.”

“I think you will,” said Howon. “I hope that one day, mages and alchemists will forget why they ever fought.”

And once the two had finished dressing, they left for work together.

**Author's Note:**

> The mages in this story are basically the benders from _Avatar_ and the alchemists in this story are basically the alchemists in _Fullmetal Alchemist._ I do think I fulfilled enough of the prompt. I apologize for any grammar or spelling mistakes, because I was rather hasty in editing.  
>  ****
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> You can find me on Twitter [here](http://www.twitter.com/west_of_autumn). I welcome your comments, feedback, and suggestions.


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